{"product_id":"antique-french-laquered-box","title":"Antique French Papier-mâché Face Powder Box","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis object is an \u003cspan class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003eantique round lacquer box\u003c\/span\u003e, typically categorized as an antique Japanese-style papier-mâché or wooden lidded box.  It once held face powder. Constructed from lightweight papier-mâché or turned wood coated in a dark black lacquer finish. The lid features a hand-painted, gilded (\u003cem class=\"eujQNb\"\u003emaki-e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e style) illustration. The artwork depicts traditional figures, indoor architectural screens, and stylized outdoor elements outlined in gold paint over the dark background. Round boxes of this scale and material were traditionally produced in the 19th and early 20th centuries as specialized containers, such as trinket or vanity boxes, tabletop storage, or export decorative wares.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the mid-19th to early 20th centuries: the French obsession with \u003cspan class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003eChinoiserie\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003eJaponisme\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e. During the Napoleon III era (1852–1870), Parisian artisans frequently created, finished, or re-mounted imported Asian lacquerwares to suit Western tastes. Many antique cylindrical or round lidded boxes found across French estate sales and antique shops were explicitly produced as Napoleon III Chinoiserie vanity containers. They were typically designed to store luxury goods like loose face powders, hair accessories, perfumes, or small trinkets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fine gold linework (\u003cem class=\"eujQNb\"\u003eor fin\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e) over the dark background mirrors the popular European \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\"\u003eVernis Martin\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e lacquer effect, as well as French interpretations of classic Asian illustrations. The scene depicted on your lid shows traditional courtly figures positioned near indoor dividing screens, an iconic aesthetic choice widely exported to and collected in France during the late 1800s. \u003cspan class=\"iNqyIf\"\u003eIn France, these types of boxes were commonly crafted \u003cspan style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"\u003efrom highly compressed\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003epapier-mâché (molded paper pulp) or \u003c\/span\u003elightweight woods, which provided a smooth surface perfectly suited to layering smooth, black lacquer coats.\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis box is 3\" in diameter and sits at about 2.45\" tall. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlease email me with questions. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Monahan Papers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59752607908126,"sku":null,"price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/6170\/1150\/files\/2026-08-0909.04.27.jpg?v=1786284589","url":"https:\/\/www.monahanpapers.co\/products\/antique-french-laquered-box","provider":"Monahan Papers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}